By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
In this week’s parsha, we study the final three makkos with which Hashem punished Mitzrayim. The ninth makkah was that of choshech, darkness. We learned in school that for a week, Mitzrayim was frozen in a thick, blinding darkness. The  Mitzrim couldn’t see and couldn’t move; they were incapacitated. But the Jews were unaffected by the makkah and had light wherever they went.

Dear Editor@Matzav.com,
I am writing to express my strong disapproval of individuals who use WhatsApp status and social media as a platform for self-promotion. The constant updates and posts detailing their every move, achievement, and thought are not only nauseating, but they reflect a deep-seated narcissism that is damaging to both the individual and society as a whole.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
If you were asked to define the period in which we are now living, you could be excused for defining it as hypocritic, where lies supplant truth, as truth is mocked, vilified and tossed away. In every field of human endeavor, people who refer to themselves as progressives are succeeding in replacing truth with fiction.
New words and definitions have been invented to explain facts of life, morality, biology and human existence. Concepts that are ridiculous and have no basis in fact or science are promulgated, written into law and adopted by secular society. Any self-respecting thinking individual can see that what is now accepted and the law makes a mockery of fact.

Dear Editor@Matzav.com,
I am writing to express my frustration with the constant emphasis on money in our frum society. It seems that everywhere I turn in the frum world, people are talking about how much money others have, whether they are bragging about their own wealth or gossiping about the wealth of others.
Not only is this kind of talk tacky and distasteful, it also perpetuates the harmful belief that one’s worth in this velt, this transient Olam Hazeh, is directly tied to their financial status. This mentality is not only untrue, but it also leads to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction among those who may not have as much money.

by Byron York, Chief Political Correspondent
The Washington Times
THE BIG PROBLEM WITH THE JOE BIDEN DOCUMENTS STORY. The biggest problem with the Joe Biden documents story is this: We know only what Joe Biden’s lawyers have told us. And the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the case will make the problem worse.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
All that transpires is for us to learn from. When things happen in the world, or in the country, and people wonder why such occurrences are taking place and why people are behaving this way, know that the answer is that Hashem wants us to study the incidents and learn mussar lessons from them.
Take what occupied the news pages for the majority of last week. The Congress is led by a Speaker, who is elected by a majority of congressmen. Naturally, the party that elected the most members in the past election puts forward one of its own to lead the Congress. The vote is almost a formality.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Rashi in Parshas Vayechi (50:5) tells of a strange financial discussion. Yaakov Avinu yearned to be buried next to his parents and grandparents in the Meoras Hamachpeilah. To ensure that his children wouldn’t experience any difficulties realizing his desire, he met with his brother, Eisov, to negotiate a clear purchase of the plot.
Rashi relates that Yaakov took the gold and silver he had amassed in the house of Lovon and piled it on the table. He offered it to Eisov in exchange for the plot in the Meorah.

Israel is basically being told by the US that its new government may not implement the policies on which it was elected. Oh, really?

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
Former President Donald Trump appeared at the recent Torah Umesorah Presidents Conference. In his message, he read excerpts from an excellent article by Rabbi Dov Fischer that listed Trump’s many accomplishments for the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The audience clapped as the former president listed what he had done. Stopped the Iran deal. Clap. Moved the embassy to Yerushalayim. Clap. Shut down the Palestinian embassy. Clap. And so it continued until he mentioned his commutation of Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin’s sentence five years ago on Zos Chanukah. With that, the audience rose and gave him a sustained, standing ovation.

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
On Chanukah, people wish each other in Yiddish, “Ah lichtigen Chanukah,” literally translated as “Have an illuminated Chanukah.” We wonder what the explanation of that blessing is and what it refers to.